Bruins Journal: Boston's power plays have been lacking

Thursday

Apr 20, 2017 at 8:29 PM

By Mike Loftus@MLoftus_Ledger

BOSTON — Power plays can be difference-makers in a playoff series.

That’s very fresh in the minds of the Senators. The Bruins? Not so much.

The Sens can end this best-of-seven series in Game Five on Friday night in large part because they scored three power-play goals over Games Two and Three — both 4-3 overtime decisions. The Bruins haven’t come up empty (2 for 11, 18.2 percent), but they also haven’t netted a power-play goal as big as, say, Bobby Ryan’s OT winner in Game Three.

Spending more time with a manpower advantage might help. The B’s have been awarded only seven power plays in the last three games — all losses — and just one in Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat.

Interim coach Bruce Cassidy wants his players to give the Sens more cause to foul them.

“You’ll get some calls going to the net,” Cassidy said. “You need to attack, get second chances, force them to defend in tough areas, where you do get your calls.”

That’s the theory, anyway.

“Every [referee] calls the game differently,” said winger Brad Marchand. “Sometimes they just want to let the guys play, which was kind of the case [Wednesday] night.”

“In the playoffs, that’s kind of how it works,” said center Ryan Spooner, who has an assist on both power-play goals this series. “Last game, we had one … You can’t really count on that.”

If the Bruins’ follow their Game Five plan to attack the Senators’ net and goalie Craig Anderson more often, there’s a better chance of earning power plays than if they don’t penetrate or miss the net with shots. The B’s know they have to use whatever manpower advantages they get to sting the Sens.

“We have to bear down, for sure, when we get those opportunities,” Marchand said. “Even if we don’t score, at least try to create some momentum.”

Around the boards

Cassidy offered little hope of injured defensemen Torey Krug (lower body), Adam McQuaid or Brandon Carlo (both upper body) returning for Game Five. “No, I don’t think so,” the coach said. “There’s guys progressing, certainly, but to say that in 24 hours we’d have some people available, I’d say not.” … Defenseman Colin Miller, who returned from a lower body injury on Wednesday, was the only Bruin who played in Game Four to skate on Thursday … The Bruins are 0-for-22 in series in which they’ve trailed 3-1 … Game Five will be the 100th career playoff game — all as a Bruin — for Patrice Bergeron.